1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for outputting picture image data. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for outputting picture image data whereby plural kinds of output processing are carried out while changing printing materials or media for writing.
2. Description of the Related Art
A photographic printer has been known which obtains picture image data by reading a picture image recorded on a photographic film (hereinafter, simply referred to as a xe2x80x9cfilmxe2x80x9d) by using a film scanner, and outputs the picture image as a photographic print after image processing has been carried out on the picture image data. The photographic printer (herein referred to as xe2x80x9cprinterxe2x80x9d) of this kind sequentially outputs prints according to print instructing information such as the number of prints which is input by an operators.
When additional prints are made by such a printer, an operator usually classifies in advance order envelopes, order sheets or the like by the size of prints to be made so that prints of the same size can be made collectively. This is because, if the processing is carried out order by order, an operation such as exchanging printing materials will be necessary, and it will lead to operation efficiency deterioration.
Following the recent increase in the use of personal computers, a file outputting service and a photo finishing system have been proposed which output not only prints, but also files on a recording medium such as an MO disc and a Zip disc.
In such a system, operations of exchanging not only the printing materials but also recording media are necessary. Therefore, factors to be considered for improving operation efficiency will increase compared with the case of a conventional printer. As a result, it is not necessarily guaranteed that any operator can carry out output processing such as printing in an optimal procedure. It is possible that an operation procedure and the time required therefor vary greatly depending on operators"" skill.
Based on consideration of the problems described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus by which any operator can output picture image data efficiently regardless of his/her experience.
A picture image outputting method of the present invention comprises the steps of storing a plurality of picture image data representing picture images in a predetermined recording medium, classifying a plurality of processing items related to output processing instructed regarding the stored image data by the kind of tasks in which the processing shown by each processing item is carried out, and carrying out the processing shown by each processing item according to an order determined by the classification.
As the xe2x80x9cpredetermined recording mediumxe2x80x9d, a hard disc of a server computer installed in a DPE or a laboratory, or a removable medium such as an MO disc or a Zip disc which is provided by a customer to the DPE or the like can be used.
xe2x80x9cThe processing itemxe2x80x9d herein referred to means a unit of output processing which will be carried out on the picture image data. In other words, the processing item refers to a unit of order. More specifically, the processing item refers to information showing image data identifying number, the name of an orderer, the kind of output processing such as print output or file output, the size and the number of prints in the case of prints, and the kind of medium and resolution of image data to be output to a medium in the case of file output, for example. The information may include information showing how urgently the processing should be carried out or the like. In other words, the processing in which the twelfth image data are output as a print in 2L size is equivalent to one processing item. Thus, and the output processing instructed by a customer or an operator can be regarded as a complex of a plurality of such processing items.
The processing item can be input one by one by an operator using a keyboard or the like. Alternatively, the processing item may be input by OCR such as that of an order sheet. A laboratory may also accept, as the processing item, an order file generated by a customer by using a personal computer or the like and attached to image data.
The xe2x80x9ctaskxe2x80x9d is a unit of processing in a processing program installed in the outputting apparatus. It is a matter of what kind of processing is made in one unit, and it is not specifically limited here. For example, one task may be assigned to each output form. More specifically, a task may be assigned to such output processing in which image data are interpolated and enlarged to create a 2L size picture and output by a printer in which roll paper for 2L size print is set, or to output processing in which image data are compressed and output by an MO disc drive, for is example. Alternatively, a task may be assigned to each orderer who requested the processing.
The xe2x80x9cclassificationxe2x80x9d may be sufficient if a suffix or the like to identify the task in which image data are processed is added to the image data so that the kind of the task can be identified. More preferably, picture image data specified by each processing item are stored in a buffer different for each class.
xe2x80x9cAccording to an order determined by the classificationxe2x80x9d refers to the fact that means that the processing is carried out in an order determined by the classification only, not in an order of processing item instruction. In other words, while in a conventional method and apparatus, processing items have been sequentially processed in an order of order placement, in the present invention the order of input of the processing items is not taken into consideration. The present invention carries out output processing in such a manner that 10 image data are processed in task 1, 10 image data are then processed in task 2, and thereafter every 10 image data are processed collectively in each task and the processing returns to the task 1. Alternatively, it is also preferable to monitor the buffers and to have a buffer become full of output image data sequentially.
Alternatively, to carry out more efficient output processing, output processing may be carried out in the steps of temporarily storing the instructed processing items in a recording medium, sorting, based on the classification, the processing items having been stored in such an order that the efficiency of the entire output processing comprising a series of the processing items becomes greatest, and carrying out the output processing shown by each processing item according to the order.
On this occasion, the xe2x80x9corder such that the efficiency of the entire output processing becomes greatestxe2x80x9d refers to an order in which the number of printing material exchange becomes smallest, in the case of a series of output processing comprising a plurality of processing items wherein picture image data are recorded on different printing materials, for example. Likewise, in the case of a series of output processing comprising a plurality of processing items wherein picture image data are recorded in different media, the above order refers to an order in which the number of recording media exchange becomes smallest. Other procedures, for example a procedure in which workload of output picture prints or media classification is reduced, are also possible.
The processing procedure in which the processing efficiency becomes greatest and an algorithm for finding the processing procedure vary depending on criteria of processing efficiency judgment and may be decided as a design specification item. Alternatively, an operator may select a desired criterion among a plurality of judgment criteria.
A picture image printing apparatus of the present invention is an apparatus which carries out outputting according to the above outputting method. The picture image printing apparatus comprises image data recording means which stores a plurality of picture image data representing picture images, processing item classifying means which classifies a plurality of processing items instructed via a predetermined input means regarding processing of outputting the picture image data stored by the image data recording means by the kind of tasks in which the processing shown by each processing item is carried out, and image data outputting means which carries out the processing shown by each processing item according to an order determined by the classification by the processing item classifying means. It is preferable for the picture image printing apparatus to further comprise processing item recording means which records the instructed processing items in a predetermined recording medium, processing procedure determining means which sorts, based on the classification, the processing items recorded by the processing item recording means in such an order that efficiency of the entire output processing comprising a series of the processing items becomes greatest, and the image data outputting means which carries out the output processing shown by each processing item in the order determined by the processing procedure determining means.
According to the picture image data outputting method and apparatus of the present invention, output processing is carried out not in an order of the output processing order placement, but in a procedure which is determined according to the classification in advance of the output processing by the kind of tasks. Therefore, output processing can be carried out in a procedure which is preferable in terms of processing efficiency. In other words, if image data are classified by tasks, a plurality of picture image data can be processed collectively in each task, and the number of printing material or recording media exchange is greatly reduced. In this manner, operation efficiency can be improved.
Especially, if different buffers for different tasks are installed and the classification is carried out by storing image data to be processed in each task in each buffer for the task, the task in which the number of data to be processed is greatest, that is, the task in which the buffer therefor has become full, can be output with priority to the others.
Furthermore, if the processing items are temporarily stored in a recording medium and output processing is carried out in a procedure which is determined after optimizing the processing procedure by analyzing the limited number of processing items having been stored (for example, processing items regarding orders received in the morning), any operator can carry out the picture image data output processing in the most efficient procedure.